For most seabirds, however, the process is not so immediate. There's actually a period of time after chicks leave the nest and before they can fly, something like the equivalent of high school in humans. The adults spend little time at the colony -- providing food for an adult-sized chick takes constant effort by both members of the breeding pair -- and the chicks aren't too interested in having them around. When adults arrive back with fish, they're mobbed by five or six neighbor chicks in addition to their own.
Between feedings the chicks roam the area unattended, fighting and interacting with one another. These days, most of the pelican productivity plots look something like this: